U.S. patent application number 09/073300 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-22 for computer peripheral bay cooling apparatus.
Invention is credited to DEANE, SCOTT M., HARRISON, JOE A..
Application Number | 20010043460 09/073300 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22112930 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010043460 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HARRISON, JOE A. ; et
al. |
November 22, 2001 |
COMPUTER PERIPHERAL BAY COOLING APPARATUS
Abstract
The computer peripheral bay cooling apparatus comprises a blower
chassis adapted to fit within the 51/4 inch drive bay of a computer
chassis and a blower enclosed within the blower chassis.
Inventors: |
HARRISON, JOE A.; (OLYMPIA,
WA) ; DEANE, SCOTT M.; (OLYMPIA, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALOYSIUS T C AUYEUNG
BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN
12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
7TH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90025
|
Family ID: |
22112930 |
Appl. No.: |
09/073300 |
Filed: |
May 5, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.46 ;
G9B/33.038 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/20 20130101; H05K
7/20718 20130101; G11B 33/142 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/687 |
International
Class: |
G06F 001/20; H05K
005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In an enclosed computer system with a peripheral bay, a computer
peripheral cooling apparatus comprising, in combination: a blower
chassis adapted to fit securely within said peripheral bay; and a
blower enclosed within said blower chassis.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further including an industry
standard disk drive power connector for providing power to said
blower.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blower enclosed
within said blower chassis is a brushless DC blower.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a second
brushless DC blower.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blower enclosed
within said blower chassis is a tangential crossflow blower.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blower is
thermally controlled to increase air flow when more cooling is
required and to decrease airflow when less cooling is required.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said blower is
thermally controlled using local speed sensing circuitry.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said blower is
thermally controlled using local remote sensing circuitry.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said remote speed
sending circuitry is located on the personal computer
motherboard.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further including a
partition fixedly attached to said blower chassis for isolating
external ambient air from system ambient air within the computer
chassis.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further including acoustical
foam inserted between said blower chassis and said 51/4 inch
peripheral bay.
12. A computer system with a peripheral bay comprising a processor,
a memory, a system bus, and a computer peripheral cooling
apparatus, said computer peripheral cooling apparatus comprising,
in combination: a blower chassis adapted to fit securely within
said peripheral bay; and a blower enclosed within said blower
chassis.
13. A computer system as claimed in claim 12 further including an
industry standard disk drive power connector for providing power to
said blower.
14. A computer system as claimed in claim 12 wherein said blower
enclosed within said blower chassis is a brushless DC blower.
15. A computer system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a
second brushless DC blower.
16. A computer system as claimed in claim 12 wherein said blower
enclosed within said blower chassis is a tangential crossflow
blower.
17. A computer system as claimed in claim 12 wherein said blower is
thermally controlled to increase air flow when more cooling is
required and to decrease airflow when less cooling is required.
18. A computer system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said blower is
thermally controlled using local speed sensing circuitry.
19. A computer system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said blower is
thermally controlled using local remote sensing circuitry.
20. A computer system as claimed in claim 19 wherein said remote
speed sending circuitry is located on the personal computer
motherboard.
21. A computer system as claimed in claim 12 further including a
partition fixedly attached to said blower chassis for isolating
external ambient air from system ambient air within the computer
chassis.
22. A computer system as claimed in claim 12 further including
acoustical foam inserted between said blower chassis and said 51/4
inch peripheral bay.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention pertains to the field of computer
peripherals. More particularly, the invention relates to a cooling
apparatus for use in an enclosed computer system.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The speed of integrated circuits has grown at an exponential
rate in recent years. This has resulted in an unprecedented surge
in computing performance. Unfortunately, the use of faster and more
powerful integrated circuits generally results in an increase in
heat generation.
[0003] In addition to the integrated circuits required for computer
operation (e.g., the microprocessor and disk drive controllers
residing on the motherboard), computers today incorporate numerous
additional integrated circuits though the use of add-in circuit
cards. These add-in cards can be plugged directly into the
expansion bus slots of the motherboard. Common expansion bus slots
today include the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus the
Extended ISA (EISA) bus, and the high-speed PCI (Peripheral
Component Interconnect) bus. It is not uncommon for a computer to
have the majority of these expansion bus slots filled. For example,
a typical personal computer will contain a 3D video card, a modem
or network card, and a sound card. These additional components,
while providing additional functionality, contribute to the
electrical heat dissipation within the computer chassis and also
take up significant amounts of space within the chassis.
[0004] Maintaining computer system components below certain
temperature levels is important to ensure performance, reliability,
and safety. Most integrated circuits have specified maximum
operating temperatures above which the manufacturer does not
recommend operation. Moreover, transistors, the building blocks of
integrated circuits, tend to slow down as operating temperatures
increase. In severe cases, integrated circuits may be physically
damaged if temperatures elevate beyond those recommended. Such
physical damage will clearly impact system performance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to keep a computer system from
operating its integrated circuits close to or beyond recommended
temperatures.
[0005] Typically, heat sinks, fans, blowers, and heat pipes are
employed to dissipate heat from integrated circuits and other
electronic components. Increases in heat generation are often
accompanied by increases in the quantity and size of the heat
dissipation elements. However, the size of such elements is limited
by the space available within a typical computer chassis. Moreover,
the usefulness of such heat dissipation elements decreases if the
ambient temperature surrounding the elements (i.e., the air
temperature within the computer chassis) becomes too high.
[0006] DC brushless blower systems are therefore necessary to
remove the heated air from the computer chassis (or, alternatively,
to blow cool air into the chassis). For many years, a single DC
brushless blower located within the power supply has been adequate
for removing hot air from the computer chassis. However, as the
speed of computer components increases, accompanied by an increase
in heat dissipation, such a configuration will prove unworkable.
Today, in more powerful computers (e.g., high powered file servers)
which require additional cooling, an area of space within the
computer chassis is specifically allocated for an additional fan or
blower. Attaching the supplemental fan or blower to the computer
chassis requires an interface on the computer chassis adapted
specifically for the attachment of the fan or blower.
[0007] It would be advantageous to provide a blower package which
would fit within a computer chassis without taking up a
specifically allocated area of space within the computer chassis.
Such an area would be better utilized to incorporate integrated
circuit boards. It would also be advantageous to provide a cooling
blower apparatus which could be attached to an interface common to
most computer systems, thereby eliminating the need for a
specialized interface.
SUMMARY
[0008] The computer peripheral bay cooling apparatus comprises a
blower chassis adapted to fit within the 51/4 inch drive bay of a
computer chassis and a blower enclosed within the blower
chassis.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described
herein with reference to the drawings wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a the drive bay
configuration of a typical computer system.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the present invention
installed in one of the 51/4 inch drive bays of a computer
system.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of the present invention
installed in one of the 51/4 inch drive bay of a computer
system.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective top view of the present invention
with a single brushless DC blower.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of the present invention
with a single brushless DC blower.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective top view of the present invention
with a single tangential crossflow blower.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a perspective front view of the present invention
with a single tangential crossflow blower.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a perspective top view of the present invention
with dual brushless DC blowers.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective front view of the present invention
with dual brushless DC blowers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] FIGS. 1 though 9 of the drawings disclose various
embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration
only. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize from
the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the
structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without
departing from the principles of the invention. The following
description may include specific numbers and quantities associated
with the device and methods described herein. In should be apparent
to one skilled in the art that these numbers and quantities are
used herein for illustrative purposes.
[0020] In FIG. 1 the drive bay configuration of a typical computer
system 100 is illustrated (e.g., an ATX or NLX style personal
computer). One of the 51/4 inch bays is occupied by a CD-ROM drive
110. The other 51/4 inch bay 120 is vacant. The 31/2 inch drive bay
is occupied by a 31/2 inch floppy disk drive 130. This
configuration is quite common today. Although the typical computer
chassis is equipped with two or more 51/4 inch form factor drive
bays, only one of those bays is generally filled-most often with a
CD-ROM or DVD drive 110.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a computer system 100 with the computer
peripheral bay cooling apparatus 200 installed in the lower 51/4
inch drive bay 120. FIG. 3 illustrates the same computer system 100
from a side perspective. In a preferred embodiment, the computer
peripheral bay cooling apparatus 200 can be installed without any
additional hardware, using the standard brackets 300 and screws 310
already present in the computer system chassis (i.e., the same
brackets 300 and screws 310 used to install CD-ROM or DVD drives or
51/4 inch floppy disk drives). The front panel 210 of the
peripheral cooling apparatus 200 will commonly be made of plastic
and can be colormatched to the color schemes of typical OEM
computer cases.
[0022] Although FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate the present invention
in a "tower" personal computer configuration (i.e., a configuration
where the motherboard is positioned in a substantially vertical
plane within the computer chassis), one of ordinary skill in the
art will recognize that the present invention can also be
implemented in a "desktop" personal computer configuration (i.e., a
configuration where the motherboard is positioned in a
substantially horizontal plane within the computer chassis) as
well.
[0023] The newer, higher powered central processing units 340
(including but not limited to the Pentium II.TM. line of processors
using Single Edge Cartridge.TM. (SEC) design) are typically located
in an area on the motherboard behind the 51/4 inch peripheral drive
bays 120. Accordingly, because of its location within the computer
chassis, the computer peripheral cooling apparatus 200 is able to
provide cool air directly in the vicinity of the central processing
unit 340. As such, it is a practical solution to the problem of
increased heat dissipation from the microprocessor, especially
because real estate within the computer chassis for an additional
cooling apparatus is at a premium.
[0024] In a preferred embodiment, power for the peripheral cooling
apparatus 200 is supplied from the system power supply 320 via the
industry standard DC disk power connector 330. An example of this
type of connector is the AMP Inc. soft shell connector, part number
1-480426-0. Using a power interface common to the personal computer
industry will decrease manufacturing costs and simplify
installation of the computer peripheral bay cooling apparatus.
[0025] Additionally, the blower 420 may be thermally controlled so
as to increase air flow when more cooling is required and to
decrease airflow when less cooling is required. This can be
accomplished using either local or remote speed sensing circuitry.
Using local circuitry (circuitry located within the blower chassis
itself), thermal sensing elements (e.g., thermocouples) can be
placed at various worst-case thermal locations within the computer
chassis. When the temperature at a particular thermal location
reaches a critical level, the optional speed sensing circuitry will
signal the blower to increase its speed to provide additional cool
air to integrated circuits within the computer chassis.
[0026] The computer peripheral drive bay cooling apparatus can also
be controlled via the remote power management circuitry found in
most new motherboards. The remote sensing circuitry will relay a
signal to the computer peripheral bay cooling apparatus 200 to
increase the speed of the blower 420 when additional cooling is
required. Additionally, through the use of remote power management
circuitry, the user will be prompted when the blower 420 is not
working properly.
[0027] A partition is attached to the chassis of the computer
peripheral cooling apparatus 200 to isolate the intake 400 and
exhaust 410 of the apparatus 200. The partition helps to increase
the static air pressure provided by the apparatus 200.
Additionally, the partition will prevent warm air from seeping
through the spaces between the computer peripheral cooling
apparatus 200 and the drive bay 120, and thereby re-circulating
into the computer system 100. Additionally, acoustical foam can be
inserted between the peripheral cooling apparatus 200 and the drive
bay 120 into which it is encased. The acoustical foam will dampen
any unwanted vibrations or noise.
[0028] FIGS. 4, 6, and 8 illustrate various blower configurations
of the computer peripheral bay cooling apparatus 200. For example,
FIG. 4 shows the apparatus 200 from a top perspective outfitted
with a single brushless DC blower 420. FIG. 6 shows the apparatus
200 from a top perspective outfitted with a single tangential
crossflow blower 620. Finally, FIG. 8 illustrates the apparatus 200
from a top perspective outfitted with dual brushless DC blowers
820. FIGS. 5, 7, and 8 illustrate varying front panel
configurations 500, 700, 900 for the peripheral bay cooling
apparatus 200. As stated above, in a preferred embodiment the front
panels 500, 700, 900 will be made of plastic and will be
color-matched to the color schemes of typical OEM computer cases.
It should be noted that FIGS. 4 through 9 are for purposes of
illustration of various embodiments. One of ordinary skill in the
art will readily recognize that alternative blower configurations
may be employed within the computer peripheral bay cooling
apparatus 200 without departing from the underlying principles of
the invention.
* * * * *